Religious persecution sanctions requested

Dale Fores and Handly Caraway, delegates from the Baha’is of St. Johns County and representing the Baha’is of Congressional District Six, recently visited the St. Augustine office of Congressman Ron DeSantis.

Meeting with the congressman’s district representative, Roy Alaimo, they asked that DeSantis, a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, support House Resolution 109, “Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.” Sen. Marco Rubio is co-sponsoring the companion bill in the Senate.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Baha’is have been heavily persecuted for their beliefs. Shortly following the revolution, the entire nine-member national administrative body of the Baha’is were arrested and have not been heard from since; presumably, they have been killed. About 200 Baha’is have been killed in Iran since the Islamic revolution.

In 2008, the Yaran, meaning “friends” in the Farsi language, a seven-member ad hoc group guiding the 300,000 Baha’is in Iran, were arrested. After being held for a long period without charges, they were convicted in August, 2010 of “espionage, propaganda against the Islamic order, the establishment of an illegal administration, cooperation with Israel, sending secret documents outside the country, acting against the security of the country, and corruption on earth.” All charges were categorically denied by those accused. They were each sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Recently, the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education, which had been formed to offer college level courses to those Baha’is denied enrollment or expelled from Iranian universities on account of their religion, has come under increased pressure and a number of educators have been imprisoned.

The Baha’i Faith, which has its origins in mid-19th century Persia, is an independent world religion, and is the largest of Iran’s religious minorities. Members of this group contend that they are being persecuted solely for their beliefs, as Baha’is acknowledge the divine foundation of the world’s major religions, and respect the peaceful beliefs and the right to worship of others.

The founder of the Baha’i Faith, Baha’u’llah, taught that true religion will unite the peoples of the world and should not be a cause for hatred, dissension, strife and violence. Among other teachings are the equality of the sexes and the abolition of prejudice.